It was a great class, and we even had some GFP to “experiment with” courtesy of the NC State University’s BTEC ( Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center). Everyone got to learn a bit about how the protein was discovered, how changing its pH affects whether the protein fluoresces or not, and how newer forms of the protein are used in cutting edge medical research.

One application is in brain research. Use of multi-colored fluorescent proteins allows scientists to visualize various brain cells and monitor their actions under different conditions. The technology has progressed so far that from a small group of 5 colors, researchers can now create a color palette of 90 shades, making such visualizations incredibly powerful.

A few of the people in the class were fascinated by these “Brainbows” and asked for further information on them. Well, here it is, better late than never!

Here are a few quick photos that show the artistic beauty in this scientific research. Enjoy!

“The hippocampus of a human brain is illuminated with multiple fluorescent proteins. Boston scientist Osamu Shimomura won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of a light-emitting protein in jellyfish. Harvard neuroscientists are applying that finding to create “brainbows” for research. (Courtesy of Jeff Lichtman/Harvard University)”

“A human brainstem is illuminated with multiple fluorescent proteins. Boston scientist Osamu Shimomura won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of a light-emitting protein in jellyfish. Harvard neuroscientists are applying that finding to create “brainbows” for research. (Courtesy of Jeff Lichtman/Harvard University)”

At left, parts of a motor neuron from a portion of oculomotor nerve, a nerve that controls eye movement, in a ‘brainbow’-mapped mouse. At right, neurons in the dentate gyrus, part of the hippocampus — a region of the brain that controls memory and spatial navigation.”